A client may interact with a server over a particular protocol or set of protocols. Such an interaction may be direct from the client to the server, or may be channeled through one or more proxy servers, which may relay for example a client's request to the server and the server's response to the client. The presence and nature of a proxy between a server and a client, as well as the number of proxies and their distance from a client may influence factors such as the security, speed and reliability of the interaction between the client and the server. There is therefore a need for a system and method to determine whether a message, request or other instruction sent to a server is sent directly from a client, or whether a proxy is present between the link of a server and a client, and if so, what are characteristics of such proxy.